Silence is Gold
by Fireboltpatronus21818
Summary: Claire hasn't spoken since her parents were killed, but life at Hogwarts with a grandfather she barely knows can only be... quite extraoridinary.
1. Chapter 1

_All rights belong to J.K Rowling_

_Chapter One_

The Boy Who Lived

Aegon Scott was having the most peculiar day. Well, really there was nothing peculiar about it at all. _He _actuallythought it was a rather terrible day, but if any of us were to look at him at this moment, we _would _think something was off. You see, Aegon Scott wasn't a very normal person. He was actually a rather extraordinary person.

The robes he was wearing were of a dark blue color and in his hand he held a piece of wood. Yes, you guessed right. Aegon Scott was a _Wizard. _Like all wizards, there was nothing normal about him; from his appearance, his clothes and even his job, which he at the moment was regretting choosing awfully. Most people, even wizards and witches, would say that his job was terrible in general, but Aegon normally enjoyed it. He thought the silence of it was refreshing after growing up in a house with four siblings. They called him the clean-up guy, but he was really just an undertaker who happened to be working for the Ministry of Magic. His job required that he made magical accidents, or murders as they mostly were, look like normal, everyday casualties in the eyes of Muggles.

He'd been called out early this morning to a house in Cardiff, where the Dark Mark had appeared during the night. It was the first sighting of the mark, since the early days after You Know Who had disappeared, and everyone who was something was there to observe. Aegon was waiting in the front yard of the small house, watching with a frown as people rushed in and out. The Minister for Magic herself was there, wearing a very grim expression on her face. Well, thought Aegon, it had to be a political disaster when the Dark Mark appeared in the sky _seven years _after they'd declared England safe and sound again.

It didn't take long for the Ministry Officials to declare the death murders by the killer curse and Aegon soon found himself in the living room, where two corpses were sitting neatly beside each other on the couch. The man was very tall with light, brown hair falling into his blue eyes, which were wide open in terror. Aegon noted that his face was neatly clean shaved and that the mark from a stinging curse was visible on his left cheek. He'd have to fix that. The woman on his side was very small compared to her husband, and her long hair was very dark. They looked like two opposites sitting beside each other, but Aegon thought it was kind of sweet. Now, he needed to make this look like a domestic disturbance. It would raise least questions if it looked like they'd killed each other in a fight. Aegon levitated the corpses off the couch and positioned them on the floor. Firstly, he had to mess up the room. Muggles never killed each other in a neatly fashion. It always had to be messy.

He raised his wand and with a flick he sent the couch soaring into the air and nearly dropped it to the ground with a squeal. He managed to stop the couch crashing down and positioned it neatly back in place, as he dropped to his knees, lifting up the fabric hiding the view to under the couch.

Yes, it hadn't been a vision. The child was actually there. Clutching, what looked to be a stuffed rabbit, the small child was peering out at him with wide brown eyes that reminded him of the dead lady on the floor. Aegon stared back.

"Hello." He finally managed to utter. The child only blinked and frowned. "What are you doing under the couch?" He asked rather stupidly.

The child shrugged with a pout.

"Well, you can't stay there all day." Aegon tried to grab the child but only managed to get ahold of the rabbit as the child crawled further back towards the wall. Aegon watched in astonishment as the rabbit was wrenched free of his hands and flew into the arms of the child. "You're… You're one of us?"

The child just stared back. He had a look of determination on his face, decided Aegon, as if he wouldn't budge from there in a hundred years. With a sigh the undertaker realized he had to tell someone about this. It wasn't _his _job after all. He dealt with the dead, not the living.

As it turned out, Aegon didn't have to go very far, as he heard something behind him. With a jump he was on his feet and stared into the blue eyes of the dead man… no wait, that wasn't right.

"Prof…. Mr. Dumbledore, sir!" He nearly stuttered at the sight of his old headmaster.

"Hello Mr. Scott…" The old man glanced down at the bodies on the floor and Aegon realized that there were tears in his eyes.

"I…" He hesitated. "I found a boy under the couch…"

"A boy?" The warlock whispered. "They had a daughter."

Aegon frowned. "It could have been a girl…"

"She was just eight years old. I never even met her." The old man sighed and sat down on the couch, burying his face in his hands. "How could they find him? I hid them all away and they were still found…"

"Sir… did you know them?"

"Not really. It doesn't matter." The old man straightened up and rose from the couch. "They are dead now."

"Well, the girl is still alive…"

Dumbledore's head snapped to meet Aegon's hesitating glance. The old man took a deep breath and dropped to his knees, peering under the couch. With amazement, Aegon saw him stretch out his arm under the couch and draw out the child, holding her close to his chest. It _was_ a girl, Aegon realized, though her short, brown hair and her boys clothes told another tale.

Dumbledore was stroking her hair softly as the child hugged him close with wide eyes. Not a single tear escaped them. He got to his feet and Aegon followed them into the front yard, where several people turned their heads at the sight of the girl and her rabbit. Millicent Bagnold, who was still there, trying to safe that, which was left of her position as Minister for Magic, rushed forward.

"Albus, who is…?"

Dumbledore shushed her. "Don't speak so loudly, you'll frighten her."

"I apologize." She said, even though her stern face said otherwise. "Who is this?"

"A survivor." Dumbledore replied. Aegon saw his face go through several expressions, before it settled on a frown. "I…. I'm taking her with me to Hogwarts."

"You're _what?" _Bagnold breathed.

"Mrs. Minister." His mouth was drawn into a hard line. "It was my _son _in there. Whoever attacked them knew that and I won't let my granddaughter be put in more danger than she already is."

His son? Aegon thought as he saw the Ministers mouth fall open, but Albus Dumbledore had no children.

"Your son…?" Bagnold finally managed to say.

Dumbledore's lip quivered as he lowered his gaze to the child who was watching them from behind her rabbit. Dumbledore was carrieing her on his hip. She had to weigh quite a lot with her eight years though small frame, but the old man didn't as much as break a sweat. He nodded.

"I'm sorry Albus…"

"Don't bother. I haven't seen him since he was sixteen and he didn't belong in our world. He didn't even know about magic."

"He was a…?"

"Yes, he was a squib. I didn't see any reason to hurt his feelings by telling him what could have been."

"And the child…?"

"Squib or not, she'll be safer with me."

"She's not a squib…" Aegon nearly choked on his own words as he realized that he'd spoken. His old headmaster grew quiet and opened his mouth as if he tried to say something. "She… I took the rabbit from her and it flew straight back into her hands."

Dumbledore looked at the child, and Aegon could have sworn he saw a tear trickle down to drip of his chin. The old man nodded and looked at Aegon in gratitude. "Thank you…"

Aegon never did find out why Albus Dumbledore had thanked him that day, but the memory would stay with him till the day he died, which just happened to be next week, but that was beside the point.

A/N:

Aegon is of course a reference to a Game of Thrones ;)

The idea kinda just popped into my head after I was sorted into Hufflepuff on Pottermore. I don't think the Puffs get enough credit and I wanted to make a story about a very incredible Puff. The first few chapters will basically introduce us to her as a character and her relationships with various persons at Hogwarts. Eventually we'll jump to her time at Hogwarts, where she'll follow the seven books. A lot of things are unclear, but she's a Hufflepuff and they might not be loud and boasting about their abilities, but they sure as hell got 'em.

The story is pretty much built around the death of her parents and the subsequent traumatization, which left her mute. It makes her a very silent character but also a very good observer, thus the perfect narrator. I'm still unsure if she'll ever get the courage to speak again, but we'll have to see.


	2. Chapter 2

_All rights belong to J.K Rowling_

_Chapter Two_

Babbitty Rabbitty

Albus was at a loss. It was very rare that the great Albus Dumbledore didn't know what to do, but when it happened, it was usually because it involved either his brother or goats. They tended to go hand in hand.

This time though, it involved a child; a little, innocent child who was sitting on the edge of his bed with a small pout on her lips. He was good with kids. By Merlin, he'd dedicated his whole life to those small people, but this was different. This was quite different. She was his grandchild. She was family, and as with any member of his family, he found this quite hard.

She had brown eyes he noted. A dark shade that belonged to her mother, but her pointy nose was all his. She didn't look very much like a Dumbledore as her hair was so dark it was nearly black, but he could still see it. Her pout was all Ariana at that age and it hurt. It hurt to see his sister's features on that little girl and it hurt even more to think of his son, who was the reason she was even here. The boy had inherited all of Albus's kindness, though they'd hardly spent any time together. Albus had quickly realized that he wasn't a wizard and held no place in that world. The decision had been quick but painful. He'd left the boy's mother, though they hadn't really been together to start with, and the toddler had hardly noticed the difference. Albus stayed in touch until the boy was sixteen. Through his son's life, Albus had made sure to appear as a drunk and someone who could easily fall off the grid. Finally that was what he did. The identity he'd set up in the muggle world was written off as dead after disappearing for several month never to resurface. It had been easy; far too easy.

Albus's sad eyes locked together with the child's, who was clutching the stuffed rabbit, strangling its throat. His quarters couldn't accommodate a child. He had a bedroom and a bathroom linked to his office and nothing more. He'd have to change that, he realized. The broom closet could easily be expanded to a bedroom, but it would probably have to wait till tomorrow.

"Claire…" He said, walking over to the child and kneeling down in front of her. "Your name is Claire, right?"

The girl nodded; her eyes starting to drop with tiredness.

"My name is Albus Dumbledore. I'm your grandfather. I'm your daddy's daddy, do you understand?" He spoke as clearly as he could and he received another nod in return. "You'll be staying with me from now on. Tomorrow is going to be a big day and we'll make you a new bedroom, what do you say?"

Claire gave a very small smile, as she ducked behind her rabbit. Albus eyes twinkled in amusement.

"That's what I thought." He patted her head and got on his feet, drawing his wand. "Do you want to see me do some magic?"

The girl just shrugged her shoulder. She probably didn't believe him when he said magic, even though she'd just arrived to his office through the floo system. Albus had told her by the fireplace that he was a wizard and that they were going to take a magical trip. She'd hardly reacted, though her eyes had gone wide when the flames had turned green.

He raised his wand and flicked it at the armchair in the corner. Claire's eyes followed his fixed gaze in time to see the chair turn into a small bed that would fit her nicely. Out of thin air, a duvet and a pillow in a pink color dropped down. Albus had always been very fond of pink. And purple.

Claire on the other hand frowned deeply and scoffed at him. Albus's mouth fell open.

"You don't like pink?"

She gave him a hard stare and pointed at her short hair, as if it would explain everything.

"You like brown?" He tried, only to receive and angry hiss in return as she pointed at her hair again and then at her clothes. Realization dawned on him. "Oh, you want boy colors."

A smile broke out on her face, and Albus couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. It was the first smile he'd seen on her and it suited her. With a flick of his wand the duvet turned into a Scottish checkered green and blue, as did the pillow. Claire hopped off the bed and sat down on her own bed, placing her rabbit under the covers; its head on the pillow. After a moment she looked up. The pout was back.

The last time he'd taken care of a child that wasn't his student, he'd been eighteen years old and too young to understand his responsibility. He wouldn't make the same mistake again. Ariana's face came to the front of his mind as the memory of her sad, blue eyes played over and over again in his head. He closed his eyes, forcing the picture away and when he opened them he didn't see blue but a dark brown look at him with curiosity.

With a kind smile, he kneeled down in front of her and patted her knee. She avoided his eyes and looked at a point above his shoulder. Albus bit his lip uncertainly.

"It's time for bed." He said. "You've been up all night."

Claire shrugged at his words.

"Come here…" Albus picked her up and threw her into the air with a laugh. Claire tried to conceal a smile but failed miserably as Albus heard her giggle into his ear on the way to the bathroom. When her feet hit the warm, stone floor, she bowed down to touch it with her hand. Her mouth formed a small "O" in amazement, as she'd clearly expected the floor to be cold. Claire closed her mouth and straightened up, looking at him expectantly.

"Here." He said, handing her a toothbrush that he'd conjured out of thin air. With an afterthought, he raised his wand and accioed forth one of his blue pajamas, which had white clouds drifting over the fabric by magic. It was of course far too big and he had to shrink it considerably.

Albus closed the door behind him, as he left the girl in the bathroom. It was far too early to go to bed, but he'd have to try. Claire would probably refuse to sleep if he didn't do it as well.

It didn't take long before he heard her light steps tip tap across the floor. Albus had changed into his pajamas and was holding an old, worn book in his hand. The girl didn't as much as lift her eyes from the floor as she walked past him and climbed into her small bed, placing the stuffed rabbit beside her and drawing the duvet up to her chin.

"Do you want me to read you a story?" He asked, seating himself on the edge of her bed. Claire ducked under her the duvet but peeked up and gave a small nod. "It's called Babbitty Rabbitty and her Cackling Stump and thus it begins…"

It was much later that night, when Albus was starting to drift in and out of sleep that he felt Claire slip under the covers of his bed and clutch his arm tightly. Albus opened his eyes and saw her tear streaked face. With a grunt of effort, he sat up and allowed her to hug him closely; her tears soaking through his shirt.

"You can sleep here tonight…" He mumbled. "But only tonight." The girl nodded against his chest with a small sniffle and crawled under his covers. Albus slipped down as well and a little while later, he was fast asleep with his granddaughter at his side.


	3. Chapter 3

_All Rights Belong to J.K Rowling_

_Chapter Three_

The Girl in the Closet

Claire Aberdeen was the kind of child that could sit still all day and draw the same picture over and over again until she got it right. Parents loved those children that they could bring to dinner parties without being embarrassed._ Their_ child was certainly not the one that would complain or shout or cry at any given moment. Right now, Claire wasn't sure if she really was that kind of child.

The day had started out all right, as she woke to find the nice, old man bringing breakfast into the bedroom so they could eat in bed. Things had gone awry from there.

You see, Claire had realized that the man, who called herself her grandfather, was a bit weird. First of all, he wore bright colors and today he'd chosen a deep purple. It wasn't even the colors that bothered her the most, no, it was the fact that he looked like he was wearing a dress.

Well, it wasn't _really _a dress, but it was close enough. She could see his pants underneath the robes, but he might as well not have been wearing them. It was all very fine that _he _wanted to wear those things, but frankly, Claire had to admit that she felt a sudden urge to hide under the bed when he presented her with her own set of robes.

It wasn't all that bad, she realized as she looked herself in the mirror. Her robes weren't closed at the front like his and you could see the black pants and sweater that he had shrunk for her just fine. It looked more like a cape now, she thought. A green cape with sleeves.

"Tut tut." The man called Albus muttered. "We have to buy you some proper clothes."

Claire hated shopping. The eager look on her grandfather's face, at the thought of going from store to store using money, did nothing to put her at ease.

It had occurred to Claire sometime yesterday that nothing was going to be normal again. With all her might, she forced away the memory of her parents' deaths and thought instead of the tall man in front of her, who was currently whistling a tune she'd never heard before as he tidied up the room with the stick in his hand. _He _definitely wasn't normal.

Albus Dumbledore was a wizard, she knew. The stick in his hand was some kind of wand and he'd used it yesterday to transfigure a chair into a bed and much more. Claire wasn't sure she liked it. The men who'd been at her house had had sticks as well… _don't think about it! _

Rule number one, she decided, don't think about it.

She spent the rest of the morning watching her grandfather turning his closet into her bedroom. At first, she'd thought it was rather ridiculous for her to live in a closet, but then he'd made it bigger and Claire had smiled from ear to ear to his delight. She shook and nodded her head as they decorated the room to her preference and finally they moved in the bed. It looked nothing like her room at home. There, her walls had been white and the furniture brown. This was… quite different. The walls were sky blue with white, fluffy clouds drifting past. The ceiling mirrored it; even with the sun to light up the room. The carpet underneath her feet was cold and felt and looked like real grass, though Albus had told her not to try to eat it, when she'd bowed down to pluck a straw.

Albus Dumbledore wasn't like her other grandfather, Claire thought as the old man showed her around his office. He wasn't strict at all and hadn't yelled at her once. He had a big red bird that he said was a phoenix called Fawkes and there were all sorts of shiny objects scattered around the room. The walls were covered in portraits of sleepy old men, but Claire could have sworn that she saw one or two take a peek at her. They then proceeded to snore very loudly.

There weren't as many books in here as there'd been at the library in Cardiff and his books didn't have any pictures either. The truth was that Claire couldn't really read all the big words in them, so she left the books to look at the bowl with sweets on his desk.

"Those are called lemon drops, do you want one?"

Claire decided that she liked lemon drops.

It was also then that she realized how long it had been since breakfast. It took some time to explain without words to Albus that she was hungry, but finally the message came across and the old man took her by the hand, leading her down a spiraling staircase.

"We're at a school called Hogwarts." He said with a kind smile. "It's a very big castle, so don't walk off on your own, you might get lost…"

It was somewhere during that sentence that Claire decided that she was _definitely _walking off on her own at some point.

She'd never seen a real castle before but it looked very much like they did in her father's knight movies. There where stonewalls, tapestries, suits of armor but she was pretty sure that the portraits didn't move in those movies. They pointed and stared as they walked past, and she noticed Albus's smile falter as a portrait said something a bit too loudly: "That's _her, _his grandchild. Who would have thought…"

His eyes went to the floor and she saw a flash of a pout before he noticed her staring. His face broke into a smile and his eyes twinkled.

"This is a very old school for magic and I'm headmaster here, so you'll have to be on your best behavior when we reach the Great Hall. The students will be curious to see you, and so will most of my staff, if I dare say." He patted her head at the sight of her horror stricken face. "Don't worry. None of them will have the nerve to bother you. I can assure you that."

The Great Hall turned out to be… well, the Great Hall.

Claire had never seen a room so big, or with so many different colors or with so many people before. There were simply too many people, and they were all staring at _her_. None of them were her age and some of them were really big. That was when she decided she didn't like it there. Claire started dragging Albus the other way, trying to make her way out of the hall, and several students laughed as their headmaster was forced by an eight year old to walk out the way he came in.

She could feel her heart thudding against her ribcage and it suddenly became very hard to breathe. Her grandfather had followed her out of the Great Hall without trying to drag her with him and at the sight of her brimming tears; he scooped her up in his arms.

"Hey, shhh, It's okay dear." He wiped away the tears as they made their way down her cheeks. She hid her face in the crook of his neck, feeling her face grow red with embarrassment. Claire knew that they were all looking at her through the open doors, though most of them tried to hide their glances behind books and newspapers. "There's nothing to be scared off. I've got you. We just have to make it through the hall to the table up the stairs. That's where the teachers sit. That's where you'll sit; right beside me, okay?"

She sniffled against his neck and nodded. He didn't place her back on her feet but carried her through the hall all the way to the teacher's table. She knew that she was very small and skinny for her age, but she felt even smaller when she came face to face with the grownups.

They stared just as bad as the students, if not even more.

Claire could feel her grandfather stiffen and hesitate as he stopped in front of the table at the top of the stairs. She glanced up at him and was greeted with a smile. He wasn't scared at all.

"Dear friends, this is my granddaughter Claire." He said smiling even broader than he had before and Claire felt something warm grow in her chest as she realized that he was smiling because of her. "She will be staying with us from now on and I hope none of you will have a problem with it."

"Of course not Albus." A stern looking woman said, smiling awkwardly at her. "Is it true Albus? What they wrote in the paper?"

The paper? Claire lifted her head from his shoulder to see him shift his gaze as his smile faltered. His lips were drawn in a thin line as he nodded. "I'm afraid so Minerva. I'm afraid so…"

The teachers all lowered their gazes at his words, and Claire suddenly realized that she had no idea what the paper had said and she had no way to find out. She let her head fall to his shoulder again, biting her lower lip. If she just had been better at reading…

There was a great deal of shuffling and moving about as her grandfather conjured a chair for her to sit on beside him. She was reluctant to let go of him, but after e few reassuring words that no one was going to bite her, she eventually let him place her by the table. It was filled with all sorts of food, but somehow Claire couldn't get herself to eat anything. The students were still staring and whispering amongst themselves and Claire could even feel several of the teachers glance at her with curiosity, though they, at least, tried to hide it.

"Hello dear." The woman sitting beside her spoke and Claire lifted her eyes to see a very plump lady smiling sweetly at her. "My name is Pomona Sprout I'm the head of the Hufflepuff house."

Hufflepuff? Claire raised an eyebrow questioningly and Pomona chuckled. "They're the ones in yellow dear. You'll find that they're all very nice and helpful."

Claire bit her lip with a nod and returned her stare to her plate, but the lady didn't stop talking.

"How old are you dear?"

One, two… Claire held eight fingers into the air without so much as looking up.

"Albus…" The lady spoke over her head. "Has she said anything to you since yesterday?"

"Not much…" He answered, shifting in his seat and Claire knew he was watching her. "Well, actually… she hasn't really spoken. I'm sure it will come with time though."

"Yes, I'm sure it will." Pomona replied.

Silently, the little girl continued to hold her gaze fixed to her plate. The teachers all thought it was very tragic, but such a sweet looking, little girl would soon get her smile back and everything would be back to normal for her. Claire on the other hand tried to follow rule number one and not think about _it, _but somehow her mother's last words seemed to go on repeat in her head. _"If you say anything, something terrible will happen. If you say anything, something terrible will happen. If you…"_

But she _had_ said something. Under the couch she'd muttered: _"Please stop it." _And then her parents died. Something terrible had happened and if she spoke again; something terrible would happen here too.

Rule number two, she decided, never speak again.

A/N:

I know it's a bit unnecessary to carry her all the way through the hall, when there's a door behind the teacher's table, but I thought it might be something Dumbledore would do "just to get it over with".

The chapters are very short, but I think it's a bit easier to publish and it gives the opportunity to create more cliffhangers. I'm not sure how often I'll change the point of view, as Claire is an ideal narrator, but it _is _just more fun to write different characters. I liked Aegon… too bad I killed him off.

Read and review folks! You'll make my day


	4. Chapter 4

_All Rights Belong to J.K Rowling_

_Chapter Four_

The Hog and His Goats

"HOW COULD YOU NOT TELL ME?"

Claire woke with a start. The shadows filled her room as it was lit up by the moon and the stars on her ceiling. She was slightly confused for a moment, before she remembered where she was. This was Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. Her grandfather was headmaster here and she'd just spent all day being shown around the castle by him. He'd told her about the four houses and much, much more that she could barely remember. But why was she awake now? Something told her it wasn't time to get up yet. Then she heard the fighting. Two men were arguing loudly, though one of them was trying to keep his voice down.

"Aberforth, please, she's sleeping…" Grandfather's voice could be heard saying.

Claire slipped out of bed and her feet hit the cold grass silently. She suddenly regretted agreeing to the clouds, as she saw them moving across her walls as shadows… or ghosts, she thought, as the Bloody Baron entered her mind. She wasn't sure if she liked ghosts. Actually, she wasn't sure of a lot lately.

"_I_ _don't care…_" But he must have, thought Claire as the other man lowered his voice. "I'm your brother! Your only living relative and when you have a son, you tell me! I don't find out through the papers and definitely not some forty years after he's born! That's my nephew, you know!"

She tiptoed across her room and opened her door quietly, sticking her head out. Grandfather's bedroom was empty and she closed the door behind her with a click as she crossed the space to the door that led to his office.

"I'm sorry Aberforth." Albus pleaded as she pushed the door open and peered past the doorframe, down the stairs. Grandfather was wearing a pink bathrobe, sitting rigidly behind his desk. Claire stepped further into the room and got to her knees as she peered through the banisters. "I couldn't tell you; not anyone. The boy would be dead before he could even walk or talk…"

"Iwould _never_ have betrayed you!" The man sneered. He looked old, she thought, but not as old as grandfather, whose hair was completely white whereas this man had more grey in his. "I would have looked after him…"

"Exactly! You would have looked after him, and then what?" Albus asked. "How would you explain to people who he was? Where he came from? Why you suddenly had a _squib _visiting?"

"It's none of their bloody busi…" His voice faltered as he caught sight of Claire. His bright blue eyes went wide and his voice got caught in his throat. Claire just stared back at him, eventually shifting her gaze to her grandfather, who'd turned around in his chair to see what his brother was looking at. He gave her an apologetic smile as he got out of his chair.

"I'm sorry we woke you Claire…"

She shrugged and looked back at the other man.

"This is my brother Aberforth. He's your great-uncle. I'm sure he wouldn't mind if you just called him Uncle Aberforth. Would you Aberforth?"

The other man shook his head slowly, seemingly being as mute as Claire as he stared at her. Albus walked up the stairs and Claire let him lift her up and carry her down, so she was face to face with Uncle Aberforth. She noticed that his clothes were very dirty and that he had glasses that looked like they hadn't been cleaned in several years. He took a deep breath as she came nearer and looked at his brother with astonishment.

"She…" He whispered hoarsely. "She looks just like her…"

"I know." Muttered grandfather and placed Claire on her feet, patting her on the head.

"Are you up to this?" Aberforth asked. "I mean, the last time you had to take care of a child it went… well, not pretty…"

Albus hung his head. Claire couldn't read his face in the dark room, but when he lifted his head; his voice was hard as stone. "It's nearly a hundred years since then. I won't make the same mistakes twice."

Aberforth nodded, avoiding his brother's eyes. The silver instruments in the room ticked and puffed smoke, and Claire noticed that Fawkes was wide awake, watching them with glinting, black eyes.

"Claire…" Grandfather cleared his throat. "Would you like to go to Aberforth's place tomorrow? I'm sure he'll show you all his goats. I have to buy you some clothes and I'm sure you'll find it all very tiring."

Claire wasn't convinced she liked the scowling man in front of her, but if grandfather trusted him, then she'd do it as well. She nodded her head eagerly and Albus's eyes shone bright with amusement. No one but her saw that Aberforth's lips twitched into a smile before they dropped at the corners again. She suddenly wanted to see his goats very much indeed.

* * *

Hogsmeade was incredible. The small wizarding town wasn't very far from the school and grandfather had let her sit in front of him on his broom as they made their way across the grounds. It was quite thrilling as he accelerated the speed and Claire couldn't stop herself from laughing. She could hear grandfather laugh as well and Claire felt her smile drop as their trip came to a halt.

They walked past several shops that looked much more interesting than the ones in Cardiff and she managed to drag the old man into one filled with candy. He bought her a sugar quill and told her that she couldn't eat it till after dinner. Claire shot him an angry glare and stomped out of the shop to the amusement of the man behind the counter.

Grandfather didn't let her enter any of the other shops after that and they soon reached the place uncle Aberforth lived. The house wasn't very big and Claire noticed that the windows were even dirtier than his glasses.

"Behave well." Said grandfather and left her with the grim looking man.

Aberforth didn't say much but let her into the house by her hand. He showed her around the house shortly and asked her if she was hungry, but as soon as she saw the goats; all thoughts of food were gone. There were at least five of them and Claire squealed in delight, jumping the fence and patting the first one she could get her hands on. They were called Gerry, Terry, Jerry, Perry and Barry though they were all girls.

Her uncle let her feed them with raw pasta and bread and by the time she crawled over the fence again, several hours had passed. Her shoes were all muddy and she was pretty sure that she'd stepped in more than just dirt. Claire didn't care.

She tiptoed across the small courtyard and stuck her head through the open door to see Aberforth and Albus talking together quietly.

"She's the last of our lineage…" Said uncle Aberforth as she strained her ears to hear what they spoke off.

"Her name is Aberdeen. It's not our place to change it."

"Everyone is going to call her Dumbledore anyway. You might as well make it official. The muggle name could bring her more trouble than good and you know it."

It was around that point that the two men noticed the little girl by the door, who gave them a big smile, pretending she hadn't heard a word. They weren't that stupid.

"Huh, Claire?" Aberforth smiled kindly. "How would you like to be called Dumbledore like us?"

And from that day on; Claire Aberdeen became Claire Dumbledore.

Well, actually it took another few weeks before it was official. That's just how bureaucracy works…

A/N:

R&R pretty plz?

This chapter is very short, but it introduces us to a very interesting character when it comes to the Dumbledore family. Albus never had a chance to make things right with his brother, but I hope that little Claire might just be what they need to put the past in the past where it belongs.


	5. Chapter 5

_All Rights Belong to J.K Rowling_

THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS SPOILERS FROM POTTERMORE

_Chapter Five_

Castle Black

Claire had always been easy to put to bed, but that was before she moved into a big castle. Lucky for her, she wasn't scared of it at all; not even at night, or that was what she'd like us to think.

Currently our little friend was attempting to sneak out of her room, and her shadow could be seen gliding over the walls, as she moved across her grandfather's bedroom without a sound. A creaking floorboard made her stop mid step, and she held her breath for several seconds, not daring to look at his bed. She clutched her stuffed rabbit closer and counted to ten before she moved on. It was with a sigh of relief that she closed the door behind her, as she entered his office at the top of the stairs.

"Is she asleep?"

A woman's voice made her freeze on the spot. Who was in here? It was with a sinking heart that she realized that it was her grandfather that answered the voice and that it meant that he hadn't been in his bedroom at all.

"Yes, I read her one of Beedle the Bard's stories. She seems to like them."

Well, the last part of his response was true.

"I'm sorry… about your son…" The woman said, and Claire dropped to her knees, pressing her head through the banisters to look down at the office. It was the Minerva lady he was talking to, Claire noticed. She was head of the lion house… what was it called? Gryffinster? No, she couldn't remember. Grandfather poured her a cup of tea and offered her the sugar, which she refused.

"Thank you Minerva. That's very kind of you…"

"You never told me about him." There was something accusing in her tone, but grandfather just shook his head with resignation.

"I never told anyone about him. I even signed another name on the birth certificate…"

"Why?"

"It seemed…" He hesitated as his voice caught in his throat, and Claire saw the old woman pat his hand. "People wanted me dead, they still do, and if they knew…. Frankly, Dennis was… he wasn't supposed to exist and it didn't seem fair to put so much responsibility and danger on a baby's shoulders, as there happens to follow the Dumbledore name."

"And the mother?" She asked, clearly uncomfortable with the subject. "You told me that you… well, that you preferred the other gent."

Claire couldn't see her grandfather's face, but when he spoke again, his voice was light with amusement, and she could imagine the twinkle in his eyes that she was becoming so very familiar with. "I still do, dear Minerva. I met her a few years after I defeated Gellert and I thought I might have changed my mind. As it was… I'd never been with a woman before and I was curious. Well, it was partly curiosity and partly me wanting to force Gellert as far away from my mind as possible."

"It didn't work, did it?" Minerva thin lips quivered into a smile.

"No!" Grandfather laughed. "It didn't work at all and before I knew it, she was pregnant and I had to stick around… that didn't work either."

"You left them?" Disapproval entered her voice.

"Yes, I did." His tone became somber. "He had no place in our world and I in theirs. By the time he was old enough to understand that I was never going to stay for very long, he flat out told me that he didn't want to see me again, and that was the end of that story."

"I'm sorry Albus…"

"Don't be, dear, it was for the best…" Grandfather took a sip of his tea. "I faked my own death and they could finally move on."

Claire didn't understand exactly what they were talking about, but she knew that it was about her dad and her granddad. Her dad had been very nice, she remembered, and he'd had those very blue eyes that… _don't think about it! _

Rule number one, she recited, don't think about it.

She didn't know how long she'd been sitting up there, but by the time they were done speaking, her knees were numb. It was with a great effort that she managed to scuttle into a corner where she'd be hidden by the shadows. She looked at her rabbit and put a finger to her lips and shushed. Minerva bid her goodbyes and her grandfather made his way up the stairs, completely overlooking her as he entered his bedroom. He closed the door behind him and Claire was suddenly alone in the office.

Somewhere in the room a clock stroke twelve and the snoring from the portraits could barely be heard. Claire avoided the middle of the steps and walked close to the banister all the way down the stairs to avoid making a noise. Fawkes peered at her from under his wing and she placed a finger over her lips, willing it to be silent. The phoenix remained as quiet as it could.

The castle seemed eerily mute at night and the cold stones were numbing her feet, making her regret not stealing a pair of her grandfather's slippers. They'd just seemed so fluffy and pink… but at least they would have been warm. Claire could hear the portraits rustling and talking amongst each other and they seemed much less sleepy than the ones of the old men in the office. She hugged her rabbit closer as she proceeded forward; glancing out of the corner of her eyes at the shadows that seemed to be constantly moving.

She gave a jump, as a ghost flew though one wall and exited through another without so much as looking up at her. And then she ran.

Her heart was beating so fast that she could hardly breathe and her eyes were burning with the tears that streamed down her face. She couldn't see a thing and soon, she slammed head first into something soft. Whatever it was, it was holding onto her and no matter how much she struggled, she couldn't get loose.

"Hey, kid, calm down…!" It was a girl's voice and she stopped hitting her and looked up into a pair of violet eyes. The girl was wearing the yellow color of Hufflepuff and her hair was cropped short and pink… wait, pink? Grandfather would have liked that. "Are you ok?"

Claire shook her head as she dried away the tears and sniffled.

"You're Dumbledore's kid…" It wasn't a question. "Are you lost?"

She nodded, feeling the color rise to her cheeks with embarrassment.

"I used to get lost too…" The girl said smiling. "I'm Tonks."

Claire shook her hand but remained quiet.

"You're Claire. Everybody knows that." The girl tilted her head. "You don't say much, do you?"

Nope, she didn't.

"Well, it doesn't matter. I've been told I talk too much." Claire was inclined to agree with whoever had said those wise words, but she just smiled. "That's better. Come on! We have to move before someone finds us. I'll bet Filch is lurking somewhere. I've just been in the Astronomy Tower. Where are you going?"

When Claire shrugged her shoulders, the girl seemed to understand.

"Exploring, eh? I used to do that, still do, but at least I can find my way back. You have to remember how to get back. If you can do that, then you're free to explore as much as you like, until you're caught of course."

Tonks was leading her down several flights of stairs and suddenly she started to recognize her surroundings. This was the Entrance Hall and the Great Hall was through that door. The girl was leading her away from them though, and it seemed to get colder as they started walking downwards through the castle.

"I can show you the kitchens. They're right beside my common room…" Tonks whispered in a low voice.

They passed several stacked barrels and the girl pointed at them. "That's where the Hufflepuff common room is. We don't have to say a password, but no one gets in, who isn't a Hufflepuff. No one ever has and no one ever will." She said as she ruffled Claire's hair. "Not even you, though your grandpa is the headmaster. You wouldn't be able to anyway. You have to tap the barrels in a specific order."

Claire looked closely at the barrels, but before she could tap them, Tonks pulled her back.

"I wouldn't try that if I were you." She laughed. "Outsiders get doused in vinegar if they get it wrong."

Tonks took another step down the corridor when she suddenly stopped. Something had brushed against her leg and Claire saw a cat come sliding across the floor towards her.

"Madam Norris…" Tonks hissed and made a move towards the barrels, but it was too late.

"What have we here…" A man came out from the shadows, as if he'd been hiding there for a while. "Well, well, well. Out after hours, eh? Professor Snape will be happy to hear that."

Tonks groaned and Claire took a step towards her, so she could hide behind her robes. The man's dark eyes followed her movement.

"Oh…" He said. "You…"

Claire didn't know who he was, but he clearly knew who she was. So did the rest of the school for that matter.

"I suppose you can't be punished, but I better bring you to Professor Snape as well…" As the man started walking further into the dungeons, indicating they should follow, she was positive that she heard him mutter: "That will be punishment enough…" It didn't put Claire at ease at all.

Tonks remained incredibly quiet as they made their way through the cold corridors but her hand had a firm grip around Claire's and when she looked up, she saw a mischievous glint in the girls violet eyes. Their shadows were cast against the wall by the flickering torches, and Claire thought she looked very tall, almost as tall as Grandfather. She lifted her rabbit to see its shadow on the wall and Tonks had to tuck her hand to make her go faster.

Professor Snape's office was filled with books and Claire immediately recognized the hawk nosed professor she'd been introduced to at some point. He was the head of the green house with the snake, and he taught…well, she'd been introduced to so many people that day that she could barely get their names straight.

He looked up from the paper he was writing on and raised an eyebrow. It rose even higher when he caught sight of Claire. She noticed the corner of his mouth twitch as if he wanted to smile, but it immediately disappeared as he addressed Filch.

"It seems you made a catch tonight Mr. Filch."

"Found 'em, I did, wandering around by the entrance to the Hufflepuff common room."

"Yes, at least Miss. Tonks got the house right this time."

Filch sniggered.

"It appears we'll have to call the headmaster this time Miss. Tonks." Snape's black eyes moved from Tonks to Claire. "This is more trouble than I care to deal with…"

Claire felt her heart fall to the bottom of her stomach as her palms grew sweaty. All color seemed to have left Tonks's face. Snape moved around the desk and threw some powder into the flames, turning them green.

"Headmaster's office." He said as he stuck his head into the flames and shouted out for grandfather. It didn't take long before Claire heard him reply.

"Yes Severus?"

"Your granddaughter is in my office. Filch caught her sneaking around with a Hufflepuff."

"Claire?" He sounded surprised. "That can't be right. She's sound asleep in her room."

"I beg the difference Albus." Claire wished she could see the professor's head, because she could swear it sounded like he was grinning from ear to ear, but when he withdrew from the flames to allow grandfather through, his face was as cold as ever.

"Claire?" Grandfather was wearing his pink bathrobe and his mouth was slightly agape as he took in the sight before him. He rushed forward and hugged her close. "What were you thinking? You could get lost! And without your shoes? You'll get sick. Oh dear, your nose is running. You're sick… oh dear…. What _were_ you thinking?"

Claire shrugged her shoulders with a sheepish smile and he patted her on the cheek. He took a deep breath and got to his feet, dusting off his bathrobe. He looked a bit shocked and Claire's smile faltered, feeling the tears pressing behind her eyes.

"Where did you find her?" He asked Mr. Filch.

"By the Hufflepuff common room."

Grandfather's gaze shifted to Tonks who was standing completely rigid.

"Miss. Tonks, what are you doing here?"

"I, well, I…" Tonks was fumbling with her words. "She ran into me and she was lost and upset so I took her to see the kitchens… we didn't really get that far."

"Ahh, thank Merlin you found her. 15 points to Hufflepuff…"

"_What?" _Both Snape and Filch sounded absolutely aghast.

"If Miss. Tonks hadn't found her, Merlin knows what would have happened. Thank you Miss. Tonks. You can retreat to your common room, but be assured that if I catch you out of bed again; the consequences will be most severe…"

Tonks nodded and shuffled out of the room, stammering her thanks and apologies. Filch huffed and excused himself, saying that there had to be better things to do than overlooking the rules.

"You did the right thing, calling me Severus." Said grandfather as Claire was lifted into the air, her feet lifting from the ground and her head resting on his shoulder.

"I couldn't very well punish her, could I?" Snape shook his head "15 points from house Dumbledore? I doubt it would have gone over well with anyone…"

Grandfather laughed and Claire bit her lip to stifle a giggle. He shifted his grip on her and walked towards the fireplace. "Goodnight Severus."

"Goodnight."

Claire remembered travelling by the green flames a few days ago when she got here, and she wasn't quite certain that it was very much fun. It was with a slight feeling of nausea that she was carried to her room and placed under the covers with her rabbit at her side. Grandfather tucked her in with a concerned look on his face.

"You'll get a cold…" He muttered. "What _were _you thinking going out like that?"

She pouted her lips and saw his resigned gaze.

"Promise me you won't do it again?"

Claire nodded, little knowing how easy it was too overlook a promise like that.

It was the next day at breakfast, when Claire escaped her grandfather's hand on the way to the teacher's table, and was seen by the whole school running towards the Hufflepuff table and seat herself beside a pink haired girl. Tonks's face grew beet red as she noticed how many people were staring and as it turned out, she was going to use the rest of the day, retelling various persons what had happened that night. A slightly disgruntled Dumbledore was seen walk to the Hufflepuff table and whisper something into Tonks's ear that made the young girl snatch the milk away from Claire and pour it into the bowl for her.

Tonks spilled as much as Claire would have done.

A/N:

Castle Black (the title) is a reference to a Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones).

This story has kind of grown on me and so has my character Claire. I hope you enjoy her as much as I!

The next chapter will make a few months jump to Christmas time. Then Claire will have established an overview of the people at Hogwarts and we will no longer see her guessing at teachers' names or what the houses are called.

This is the longest chapter so far and I finished writing it at one o'clock in the morning XD

Please Review, I could use some feedback on this.


	6. Chapter 6

_All Rights Belong to J.K Rowling_

_Chapter Six_

The Nightmare Before Christmas

Almost three months had passed since Albus Dumbledore had peered under a couch in Cardiff only to discover two brown eyes looking straight back at him. It only took him two seconds to realize that he'd become a grandfather and with a light smile, he'd extended his hand to his granddaughter and she'd taken it without hesitation. Time had passed since then and the Hogwarts grounds were now covered in snow and the Great Hall had been decorated for the small Christmas feast that they'd made for the remaining students.

It was the night before Christmas and Hogwarts was deceivingly quiet. Not a sound could be heard as the House Elves popped in and out of the dorm rooms and placed presents at the end of the students' beds. The kitchens were bustling with activity, but the hushed voices and the occasional yelp, as an elf was doused in gravy, could not even be heard by the Hufflepuffs, who normally woke to the smell of fresh baked bread in the morning.

It was therefore with great confusion that Albus Dumbledore woke to find his bed shaking. His eyes darted across the room and when they found nothing threatening, he jumped out from under his covers and grabbed his wand. The grey light from the windows illuminated the opposite wall and Albus's jaw went slack as he saw a portrait shake and tremble so badly that it fell to the floor with a clatter.

"What the…?"

He took three strides towards Claire's door and hesitated. With a frown, he put his ear to the wood and listened carefully.

"_Please stop it…"_

He straightened up as he heard a little girl plead. Was that Claire? He'd never heard her voice before. He pushed against the door slowly and opened it up to see the room in chaos.

Claire's bed was usually pushed up against the wall, but now it was hovering two feet off the ground in the middle of the room. Everything was flying through the air at a great speed, circling around the bed, as if it was the eye of a storm. Albus stepped back as a piece of paper flew into his face and gave him a cut on the cheek. He could see Claire in the middle of the chaos as she thrashed against her bedcovers, pleading with an invisible enemy to stop what he was doing. She was having a nightmare, he realized, a nightmare that was taking the same proportions as the ones his sister used to have. Albus caught himself wondering, if it had been such a nightmare that had killed his mother, or if Ariana had been awake when it happened. Shaking his head, he stepped into the room with his wand in the air, freezing all movement.

Albus waved his wand, sending things back where they used to be. Her clothes were neatly folded and returned to her drawers and papers stacked into piles, though they could hardly be used to draw on anymore. Her shoes were sorted after color and a few books returned to the shelf. Finally, he lowered the bed back into place and walked over to the squirming girl. She was grinding her teeth in her sleep, only stopping to plead for her attacker to halt his actions.

"_Please stop it…"_ She cried, her lips quivering with sobs. Albus's throat tightened as he felt the tears press on behind his eyes, making him draw her into a hug. Her bed sheets were drenched in sweat and Albus placed a hand on her forehead. She didn't have a fever.

"Claire…" He said softly as he nudged her shoulder. "Dear, wake up, you're dreaming."

Her eyes fluttered open and it took a moment before they focused on him. She was searching his face with confusion and he smiled sweetly, drying away the tears on her cheeks.

"You were having a nightmare."

Her dark eyes followed his every movement with caution as he picked up her rabbit from the floor and placed it in her arms. She clutched it tightly, not taking her eyes off her grandfather.

"Does it have a name?" He asked, looking into her eyes, searching for an answer as she nodded. An image of a rabbit wearing a waistcoat entered his mind, but he couldn't make much sense of her thoughts. He shook his head with a kind smile and patted her cheek. "You have to sleep now dear. Tomorrow is Christmas and you know what happens if you don't sleep."

The girl nodded with big eyes as fright entered them.

"That's right Claire." He smiled with amusement. Children were so innocent and gullible sometimes. "If you don't sleep, there'll be no presents in the morning."

Albus stayed with her until she was fast asleep again. The nightmare must have been quite something, he thought as he remembered her frightened voice. He'd never heard her say anything before and by the look of it, she wasn't going to start doing it anytime soon. Frankly, it was starting to worry him that she hadn't found the courage to speak yet and he'd tried to talk about her parents with her before, only to see her close off to him as her eyes became distant. After a while, she'd actually started leaving the room whenever he'd mentioned their deaths and it pained him to see her go.

She spent a lot of time alone, he'd noticed. He didn't like her wandering around the school, but he couldn't find it in his heart to stop her. Filius, Minerva and Pomona had all volunteered to use their free hours to tutor Claire so she could learn to read and write properly. The four of them had made up a schedule for her that took up most of her mornings and middays, but she had her afternoons off and she could usually be seen sneaking into the library or other places, where she really had no business being.

Albus couldn't stop her, as he had far too many things to attend to during the day, but since she always showed up for dinner in the Great Hall, he couldn't very well complain.

The old man crossed his bedroom and opened his new closet that he had acquired after Claire took his old one. On the top shelf, there was a small box that he took down and opened. Inside was an old wand. It looked just like he remembered it; worn but reliable. This was the wand he'd bought at Ollivander's when he was eleven years old. He hadn't used it since he defeated Gellert.

Seeing her display of magic had really shocked him. Claire had done a few accidental things before in the last few months, like turning on the lights in a dark room when she was scared or finding the salt in her hand when she reached for it at the table. It had been strong signs of controlled magic, but it had been nothing compared to what he'd seen in her room this night. She had to learn how to control it before she had an accident. His stomach turned as he thought of his poor mother. Claire had to learn how to channel her magic before she killed someone in a fit of rage.

The decision was rather easy, he would think later on as he looked back on himself giftwrapping the slim box and placing it under the Christmas tree. He couldn't wait to see the look on her face as she realized what he'd given her. Claire would be so excited.

_**A/N:**_

**This is so far my shortest chapter. I could have made it longer, but that would force me to change the point of view halfway through, and I'd really like to have one chapter-one character as it has been so far.**

**We see Albus make a decision that will shape the future for his grandchild. I doubt many parents let their kids have wands, but I can imagine that it used to be quite normal in the old days and with the old families. **

**Next chapter will be up soon and pretty much be an extension of this chapter and show the events of Christmas morning. I expect we'll make a big time jump after the next chapter, hopefully to their first year ;) **


	7. Chapter 7

_All Rights Belong to J.K Rowling_

Chapter Seven

Lumos

"Auch!"

Claire giggled as she jumped up and down on her Grandpa's bed. The old man looked around with confusion and smiled when he saw her. She'd woken two minutes earlier and there had been no discussion in her mind as to whether she should let him sleep or not. She opted for the last.

"Claire!" He exclaimed, looking at the alarm clock on his bedside table. "It's six o'clock in the morning…."

She stuck out her tongue as she leaned down and grabbed his hand, trying to force him out of bed.

"I'm coming, I'm coming…" He mumbled as he stood up and slipped on his pink bathrobe. He pocketed his wand and followed her as she bounced out the door and down the steps to his office. Claire's eyes darted around the room in amazement. Yesterday, there'd been nothing here, but now a big tree occupied most of the space and the walls were decorated in red and green. Golden globes floated in the air with lights in them and Claire watched as the decoration on the tree moved. A snowman on one of the lower branches waved at her and a miniature drum was playing by itself. What caught her eye the most though, was all the presents. Claire had never seen that many presents in all her life.

Grandpa was smiling more than she'd ever seen him smile before, which was a lot. She couldn't remember when she'd started calling him Grandpa in her mind, but it seemed very natural now, and she couldn't imagine doing anything else. The old man kneeled down and took the nearest present into his hands.

"This one is for you Claire…" He said, making it float into her hands. "Seems like Severus thought you should have something after all."

As it turned out, all the teachers had thought she should have something. To her surprise, Grandpa got nearly as many presents as she did. They seemed to consist mostly of books, but someone had sent him a pair of socks, which made him snort in amusement. Claire had drawn him a picture of the two of them at the lake. She was rarely allowed outside, but he'd taken her to see the grounds one day and she remembered the lake most clearly. He knew, of course, that he was getting a drawing, since he'd helped her send of a whole bundle of them to various teachers at the school and uncle Aberfoth too. She'd drawn him and all his goats. Claire was always in the pictures of course.

She, on the other hand, hardly received any books. She now had more crayons than she knew what to do with. There were presents from a lot of people she'd never heard about before, but Grandpa assured her that they were all people he knew, though his smile was rather strained. Someone had sent her a broom, but Grandpa confiscated it immediately, mumbling about ruddy purebloods and their sense of what was proper and not. Uncle Aberforth had sent her something that looked like a small chalkboard, but it was much different. If she thought very hard about a sentence, the board would scribble it down and she could show it to people. Claire wasn't sure Grandpa liked it when she found a button that made it so small that she could carry it in her pocket. Now she was sure that she would never have to speak again.

The thing that excited her the most though, was when Grandpa gave her the last gift.

"That's from me. I know I've already given you something from Honeydukes, but I thought you could use this." It was a small, slim box and Claire took off the wrappings and opened it. Inside was a wand. "You're not really allowed to have one, so it will be our little secret, right?"

Claire nodded, biting her lip. A smile broke out on her face as she flung her arms around his neck. She heard him chuckle and when she leaned back, she saw the twinkle in his eyes. She gave him a kiss on his bearded cheek and he ruffled her hair.

"Merry Christmas Claire." He tried to blink away a few tears, but Claire noticed them even though they never fell. "Merry Christmas…"

It was much later that day, when Claire managed to slip out of her Grandpa's office. She knew that she only had a few hours before dinner and that it was going to be quite special tonight since it was Christmas. She skipped through the corridors and only passed one student. She smiled politely and waved. The surprised Slytherin lifted his hand in return, though he looked around as if he was afraid someone would see him say hi to Dumbledore's kid.

They were weird, she thought. When no one was around to see them; they were nice enough, but if they were with friends then they ignored her as much as they could. Hufflepuffs were always nice and so were the Gryffindors, but the Ravenclaws mostly thought she was annoying.

She couldn't imagine why, she thought as she pushed open the doors to the library, banging them against the wall. The only student in there, who happened to be a Ravenclaw, looked up with an angry growl. Claire smiled sweetly and ran past Madam Pince who was shushing after her loudly.

Claire found her usual corner in the back of the library. No one ever came here and she could spend hours in complete silence. She hid under a table where she had a pillow to sit on. Several books were scattered around her and she picked up the nearest one and flipped through it. After she'd started her reading lessons with Filius, reading came much easier to her. She thought it might have something to do with sitting in a library all day when she didn't have anything else to do.

She placed the book in front of her after reading the passage about the lumos spell. Claire had seen Grandpa use this one before and she'd immediately looked it up in the books afterwards. From the folds of her robes, she withdrew the old wand that Grandpa had given her and she flicked it. Nothing happened.

She knew that she was supposed to say the incantation out loud, but she'd seen plenty of the teacher's do magic without saying anything and she thought that she should be able to do the same.

_Lumos_, she thought, flicking her wand again, _lumos, lumos, lumos. _Nothing. The dark space under the table remained as dark as ever and Claire squinted her eyes to read the passage about the spell again. She was doing nothing wrong. _Lumos, lumos, lumos, lumos, lumos LUMOS, LUMOS, LUMOS!_

With a blinding flash the tip of her wand became a ball of light. She blinked as her eyes hurt, but she forced herself to look at it. She'd done it! She'd actually done it! And it was pretty too, she thought as she touched the ball. He hand went right through it and all she could feel was a slight tingling in her fingers. She had to show Grandpa what she'd learned!

She scrambled out from under the table and ran in and out between the bookcases with her wand stretched out in front of her. Madam Pince looked up from her desk and shouted something after her and Claire noticed how her mouth formed a small _O _as she noticed the ball of light.

The Great Hall was very empty, she thought as she stopped by the door to catch her breath. It was nearing dinner time, but only a few students had seated themselves by their respective tables. She glanced at the teacher's table and noticed that most of them were already there, including Grandpa. She dodged one of the older Gryffindor students as he rose from his table and she ran all the way to podium. Filius was the first to notice her and she heard him squeal.

"Oh Merlin, she has a wand!" The little man went on to nudge Grandpa on the shoulder. "Albus… She has a wand…"

Grandpa went slightly slack jawed and Claire beamed at him, holding her wand high as she went around the table so she could show him properly.

"Did you give her a wand Albus?" Came the stern voice of Minerva McGonagall.

The old man cleared his throat nervously. "Well… I told her to keep it secret…"

"Evidently, she forgot…" Said Severus Snape as he smiled into the book he was reading. Claire's smile vanished as her heart dropped into her stomach. He _had _told her to keep quiet… how could she forget? She lowered her eyes to the floor shamefully. She felt a hand grab her face and she was forced to look her Grandpa into the eyes. He was beaming down at her and she bit her lip, trying to hide her smile.

"Did you do that Claire?" He asked, pointing at the wand. "Did you use a spell?"

She nodded eagerly and she heard one of the teacher's mutter: "Amazing…."

"Do you know how to turn the light off again, dear?" Grandpa asked kindly.

Claire knew the incantation of course. Tonks had used it once, when they were wandering around the school at night and they had to hide from Pomona. It was _nox. _She looked at her wand intensely.

"Let me hear…" She hardly noticed that Grandpa used the word _hear _and not _see. _

All she had to do was get the same determination and intensity behind the spell as when she'd turned the light on. _Nox, nox, nox, NOX!_

And the light went out.

Filius fell off his chair with another squeal and she heard several of the teachers mutter amongst themselves. Grandpa was smiling from ear to ear as he picked her up and hugged her close.

"Astounding! Absolutely extraordinary…!"

"I must say Albus…" Said Minerva. "That was quite a display of magic for someone her age… but you still shouldn't allow her a wand…"

Grandpa's face fell. "Well, none of you saw this, did you?"

Several of them muttered "No." and Grandpa looked down at Claire with a smile. "That's what I thought…"

Claire giggled as she was put into the chair beside Grandpa with Filius on her other side. The head of Ravenclaw immediately asked her to show it to him again. She spent the rest of the evening flicking the light on and off to the little wizard's delight.

**A/N:**

**I've noticed that no one bothers with writing a review…?**

**Come on guys?**

**Either I'm doing everything right or everything wrong… there must be something to comment on? Review, pretty plz?**

**Someone did write and ask anonymously if Claire was Hermione. I can only say that she isn't. **

**Next chapter will take us forth to their first year at Hogwarts! Enjoy ;) **


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